Lucy Garner signs for Wiggle Honda

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Former double world junior road champion, Lucy Garner from Leicester has signed for Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling on a two-year contract

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 Lucy Garner  signs for Wiggle Honda

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Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling is pleased and excited to announce that Lucy Garner will be joining the team in 2016 on a two-year contract. The young British rider from Leicester, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on the 20th of September, has spent her entire professional career to date with the Liv-Plantur team, but looks forward to the opportunities that riding with Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling will bring.

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“It’s obviously a huge team, a really professional team, and they’ve had a lot of success,” Garner said. “For me, I just need the next step, a new challenge, and I feel that it’s that time now in my career when I need to make that step, and I think that Wiggle Honda they can really support me and help me with that. They’re really, really positive, and they really believe in my abilities as a sprinter.

“It’s really nice to hear that, that they really believe in me, so I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

As one of the outstanding junior riders of her generation, in 2011 and 2012 Lucy Garner became the first rider since the great Nicole Cooke to win the Junior World Road Race Championships on two occasions. Despite the big step up into the senior ranks, Lucy confirmed her talent with a stage victory in the Tour of Chongming Island, still aged just 18. Last year saw her ride, and finish, her first Giro d’Italia, while this season she won the opening road stage of the Route de France – beating Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Nettie Edmondson to the line in the process. Other results included third place in the tough, technical finish of the third stage of the Aviva Women’s Tour, in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

Earlier this month Garner took another high-profile sprint podium as she finished second to future Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling teammate, Belgian Champion Jolien D’hoore, in the first stage of the Boels Rentals Ladies Tour.
“It has been a good three years,” Garner said. “But I’m definitely looking, especially next year and the year after, to build on my sprint, and also work on building a bigger engine so I can be there in the finals. That’s another real reason why I’m going to Wiggle Honda; they will give me real opportunities to be in the final, but not necessarily always sprinting.

“There’s going to be a lot of good riders on Wiggle Honda, but it’s really good for me just to ride the races to make me stronger. That’s definitely going to help me in the future with my sprinting.”

Garner is not the only current Liv-Plantur rider to make the move to Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling next year, with Dutch rider Amy Pieters already confirmed with the black and orange team. The two young riders have enjoyed an excellent relationship in their three years riding together, and Garner hopes to see that continue.

“The last couple of years Amy and I have really got on well off the bike, as well as on the bike, and I really trust Amy as a rider,” Garner said. “We’ve been riding together for three years now, and for the sprints she’s always the last lead-out girl for me. I know what she’s doing and she knows me really well. I really trust her as a rider, and she’s a really strong rider as well!

“It’s really nice that we can do the move together, and it’s always nice to have someone there that you know of course!”

“This is an extremely exciting signing for the future of our team and for our British based sponsors and fans!” said Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling Team Owner and Manager Rochelle Gilmore. “It’s the perfect moment to have the opportunity to start working with Lucy. We’ll have a very busy race schedule in 2016 and with many athletes focusing on Rio, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to support Lucy’s development and ambitions.

“A professional environment is of the utmost importance to Lucy, so our team of very dedicated staff and experienced athletes are extremely eager to welcome Lucy into the family and be a part of her rapidly developing career.”

Garner joins Pieters, Belgian Champion D’hoore and Swedish Champion Emma Johansson in the list of confirmed riders in Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s 2016 roster. More riders will be announced in the coming weeks.

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